There’s no denying that moving house can be an extremely expensive activity. Costs have a way of piling up faster than you can pay them and it can be disheartening, to say the least. From paying a bond to hiring removalists and end of lease bond cleaning, it’s no surprise that your wallet often takes a big hit. However, it doesn’t have to be as expensive as you may expect. With a bit of foreword thinking and planning, you can save yourself a lot of money on your move and take the stress away on moving day. Take a look here at our top 21 ways to save money when moving house.
1. Don’t buy your boxes
Boxes are often more expensive than you would expect. Rather than spending precious money on buying boxes and moving gear, which can end up being rather expensive, consider spending a few hours before you move finding some instead. Many local businesses such as supermarkets often have a huge amount of boxes that they are recycling and most are usually happy to give them away to anyone who asks.
2. Pad with soft furnishings
Soft furnishings such as blankets, throws and sheets are the perfect items to wrap around your more delicate belongings such as paintings, TVs, mirrors and even your cups and plates. Not only will this save you a lot of money, but it is also more environmentally friendly than if you were to use bubble wrap.
3. Compare removalists
When moving house you should always shop around for a good removalist company to help you out. Rather than simply booking the first company you find, take some time to have a look through their reviews and compare them to their competitors. You will often be able to find a great removalist at a reasonable price if you spend time doing some research.
4. Use existing storage items
You will often find that you already own plenty of storage items that you can utilise for your move. Consider using belongings such as suitcases, bags, storage tubs and washing baskets to pack your stuff into. You can even consider leaving your clothing in your draws and moving them as they are. This will not only save you time packing but utilising storage items that you have at home will save you from having to find or buy extra boxes.
5. Do your own bond clean
There’s no doubt that doing the end of lease bond clean yourself is a big task. However, it can also help to save you hundreds of dollars. Bond cleans can often cost hundreds of dollars – more if you are moving from a large property. If you have the time at the end of your lease, put aside a day or two for cleaning your old home from top to bottom. Don’t be afraid to ask your friends or family to help you out for a few hours. As long you are thorough you should be able to save yourself some serious cash.
6. Get the help of family and friends
If you’re planning on doing a lot of the move yourself you should always consider asking your friends and family to help. More hands make light work and can make your move a much less stressful activity. It will be faster and an overall much more pleasant experience. Just remember to thank anyone who helps by putting on some food and drinks afterwards.
7. Hire a truck
Hiring a small truck is a fantastic way to cut the costs of moving house. If there are a few of you doing the move you should have no trouble getting your stuff loaded onto the truck and moved within just a few hours. The cost of hiring a small truck for a day is often much less than if you hire a professional removalist to do the job for you.
8. Weekdays are cheaper
If you are able to, consider organising your house move for a day during the week. Most people try to organise their move for a weekend day due to work commitments so removalists will often charge more on a Saturday or Sunday. However, costs are often much lower during the week and you are also able to have more say on the start time.
9. Pull apart your bigger furniture
If you have a lot of large furniture you should consider pulling it apart if you are able to. Transporting smaller items is not only much easier, but they’re quicker to pack and unpack off the truck. If the removalists are able to move fast with smaller items your fees will be drastically reduced. Breaking down your bed and bookcases will help a lot.
10. Get your packing done early
Many of us are probably guilty of doing a lot of last-minute packing. Packing can be a tedious activity that is often the last thing we want to be doing. However, finishing your packing early is not only going to take a lot of stress off you on the lead up to moving day, but it can also help you to save money as well. Being organised early means that you won’t have to rush out for expensive cleaning or moving supplies you could source cheaply or freely elsewhere, it also means that you can avoid expensive last-minute purchases or the need for your removalists to do any packing for you, which substantially adds to costs.
11. Sell your unwanted or excess items
If you have been holding on to items that you no longer want, need or use, then now is the time to get rid of them. These items are not only going to be taking up valuable space in your home, but the mere act of packing and moving them adds to your house moving costs. Taking the time to sort through your belongings will not only help you get organised, but you can even make some money from selling your unwanted possessions. There truly is truth to the saying ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure’.
12. Cancel your services
One especially important activity that many people leave to the last minute is the act of cancelling or moving your services. Leaving your power on at the old home is going to add to your electricity bill every single day that it is connected. Organise your electricity, internet and cable early to ensure that no one else (such as new tenants) is using your accounts and that you’re not getting charged line charges or service fees for a property that you’re not in.
13. Have your gear ready to go
Removalists tend to move the larger, bulkier items such as fridges, washing machines and sofas. Have these ready to go at the front of your property and your boxes stacked up behind them. This will cut down on a lot of time and therefore save you money. The neater and tidier your gear is for the removalists, the easier it is going to be for them to move it.
14. Move your small stuff yourself
While this might take up a bit of your time before the big move, moving the smaller stuff yourself can end up saving you a lot of money with your removalists. More often than not, removalists will charge in 15 or 30-minute increments. This means that the more they have to move, the more it is going to cost you. If you can get all the small things moved in your car, your removalists can focus on the larger items. This will save you a lot of money as it should be a fairly quick process.
15. Compare your utilities before signing up
Before you sign up for your new utilities, consider spending an hour or two researching providers to find the best deal for your new home. What may have been a good deal when you signed up at your old property could in fact no longer be such a fantastic deal at your new place. A bit of research now could save you plenty of money in the long run.
16. Avoid eating out before you move
In the week or two leading up to your move, you should avoid ordering food or eating out. Instead, consider using up the food you have in your pantry or fridge. Not only is this going to save you a lot of money on Ubereats, but it’s also going to help reduce the amount of packing that you need to do last minute.
27. Cancel your unused subscriptions
We’re all guilty of having a subscription or two that we don’t necessarily need or use. From Netflix, Amazon Prime and Stan to your Spotify or Xbox Live subscriptions, these are costing more each month than you might expect. While we all love to sit down and have an evening binging some good shows or movies, pausing or cancelling these subscriptions might be a good idea in the lead up to your move when you’re counting pennies and trying to save money.
18. Ask friends and family to watch your pets or children
Moving a house can often be a quick-paced and even dangerous activity with so much heavy and bulky furniture being moved around. Rather than having your pets or children running around in the middle of this, why not ask friends or family to take care of them for a few hours? This is a fantastic alternative to dropping them off at a sitter or pet daycare which can be expensive.
19. Sell your old appliances
If your new home comes with its own washing machine, fridge or other appliance, you should consider selling your old appliances before you move. Not only will this save you time and money on moving day, but it can also help make you some quick cash as well.
20. Source your cleaning supplies cheap
Rather than heading out and spending a fortune on cleaning supplies, consider finding your cleaning supplies cheap. Shopping at places such as Chemist Warehouse or the Reject Store is a great way to get some fantastic quality cleaning gear at a fraction of the cost. This is especially important if you are planning on doing your bond clean yourself. You’re likely going to need a lot of cleaning equipment and products so you may as well get them cheap.
21. Set yourself a budget
While this may not seem like an obvious way to save money, if you have a solid budget in mind it will be much easier to stick to it. Take the time to do a bit of research before you set your budget and be sure to take your own finances into consideration. Once you know how much you would like to spend you can begin finding supplies and removalists who fit your budget. This can help you cut down on unnecessary spending and help to avoid those one-off spontaneous purchases that, while convenient, add up quickly. It will also encourage you to be creative about how you spend your budget, encouraging you to find an equally good but cheaper option. A bit of planning with your budget now can help you save hundreds of dollars throughout your move.
Book your move today
Moving home doesn’t have to be as expensive as you would think. By planning ahead, utilising items you already own and sourcing moving supplies cheaply you can save yourself a lot of money. This is especially true if you decide to do the heavy lifting or cleaning yourself. Rather than worrying about how much the move is going to end up costing you, spend your time preparing and planning how you are going to bring that overall cost down. If you’re ready to book your move, get in touch with our team today. Our team at JD Movers are experts at what they do and are available to assist you with any questions or queries you might have.